Texans cornerback Phillip Gaines is set to undergo season-ending ankle surgery, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Per a source, Gaines will be placed on Injured Reserve after suffering a severe high-ankle sprain in yesterday’s loss to the Colts. The recovery is expected to take five months.
Gaines has been a rotational player since entering the league in 2014. Entering the sixth year of his career, Gaines had yet to start less than three games in a season, but never more than six. Houston had begun using him more prominently as the season went on, starting the team’s previous two games before leaving the game yesterday.
While Gaines was not signed to be a starter, he was called into action once Bradley Roby and Johnathan Joseph went down with injuries. Now down another member of their secondary, the Texans decided to trade a third-round pick in the upcoming draft for Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley earlier today. It appears likely that Conley will step into Gaines’ place in the lineup.